Chapter 2
The backyard went silent.
Even the children stopped moving.
The bounce house hummed loudly in the corner like it did not understand that our whole life had just cracked open.
Karen yanked her wrist away from Aunt Sarah.
“You disgusting liar.”
Aunt Sarah did not blink.
“I have every document.”
Karen pointed at me.
“These children call me Mom.”
I looked at Lucas.
He was shaking in his birthday chair, tears running down his face, his little hands gripping the arms like he was afraid the cake would come back.
I wanted to say something.
Anything.
But I was seven.
My throat felt full of rocks.
Aunt Sarah stepped between Karen and Lucas.
“They call you that because you forced them to.”
Karen laughed.
It sounded fake.
“Where is their father? Ask him. Ask Daniel who raised them.”
Dad was not in the yard.
That was the first thing I realized.
He had been there when the party started.
He kissed Lucas on the head.
He told me to help with presents.
Then Karen whispered something to him near the sliding door.
After that, he disappeared inside.
Aunt Sarah turned toward the house.
“Where is Daniel?”
Karen’s face twitched.
“He had a work call.”
“At his son’s birthday party?”
“He provides for this family.”
Aunt Sarah’s eyes narrowed.
“No. He hides from it.”
A few adults shifted uncomfortably.
I recognized some of them from Dad’s office.
Some from church.
Some from Karen’s lunches.
People who had smiled at us for years and never asked why Lucas flinched when Karen said his name.
Karen looked at the guests.
“You’re all going to stand here and let this woman ruin a child’s birthday?”
Aunt Sarah picked up the strawberry cake plate.
Then she looked at the label on the bakery box.
Strawberry cream filling.
Fresh strawberry puree.
Strawberry extract.
Her face hardened.
“You ordered this cake.”
Karen crossed her arms.
“It’s a birthday cake.”
“He is allergic to strawberries.”
“I forgot.”
Lucas whispered, “No, you didn’t.”
Everyone heard him.
Karen’s head snapped toward him.
“What did you say?”
Lucas curled into himself.
I moved in front of him.
He clutched the back of my shirt.
Aunt Sarah knelt beside him.
“Lucas, sweetheart, did Karen know?”
He nodded, crying.
“She said if I didn’t eat it, Dad would send me away.”
A sound moved through the guests.
Shock.
Horror.
Disbelief.
Karen stepped forward.
“That is a lie.”
I finally found my voice.
“No, it’s not.”
Karen stared at me.
I had never spoken against her in front of people before.
My heart pounded so hard I thought I might fall.
“She said it yesterday,” I whispered.
“She said sick kids make families tired.”
Karen’s face went white.
Then red.
May you like
Then something worse.
The mask was gone.
